1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for constructing virtual space. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for constructing virtual space for rendering photographed images according to display space.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known in the art to provide a computer system that constructs virtual space in which the real world is simulated for its users. Examples of this system include games in which user's representation called an avatar appears in a virtual world in this virtual space and systems for research, analysis, and estimation.
An example for constructing a virtual space in which the real world is simulated is photo-based rendering, which constructs a simulated virtual space by applying photographs taken in the real world into a space including the user (texture mapping).
A known application of this photo-based rendering is a system in which multiple photographs which are taken by a dedicated image capturing system in sequence at the same time are efficiently stored in an image database system in connection with their positional information, and for reproduction, the images are reproduced from a desired position and displayed in real time. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-168754.
Other examples of photo-based rendering are recording a plurality of high-definition images and background images with different viewing directions on a recording medium using their respective viewing directions as search indices, and at reproduction, detecting the viewing direction of the viewer, and generating an image by image processing for display (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 7-236113), an electronic visual system using positions and postures (PCT Japanese Translation Patent Publication No. 9-505138), and a method of generating an omnidirectional image from a plurality of images taken by an omnidirectional camera by interpolation (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-092597).
An example of cameras for photographing the real world is a digital camera capable of providing computers with fine images according to digital data. A known digital camera is provided with a global positioning system (GPS) and a position sensor or a three-dimensional gyro sensor so as to record the photographing position, photographing direction, and elevation angle of photographing (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-080359).